Harp attachment for pianos



Painted Apr. 25,1899.

J. V. STEGER. HARP ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOS. (imam am. as, 1000. (lo Nodal.)

WITNESSES. J/v VEN ran:

m: NORRIS PETERS co. PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHGNGYON, n c

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

JOHN V. STEGER, OF STEGER, ILLINOIS;

HARP ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 623,690, dated April 25, 1899.

Application filed March 28, 1898- Serial No; 675,398. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN V. STEGER, a citi-' zen of theUnited States, residing in Steger, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Harp Attachments for Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the attachments now often used in pianos for changing the tone so it will resemble a harp or mandolin, and more especially to the construction and mode of applying the strikers used in such attachments to their supporting cloth tongues.

As heretofore constructed the strikers have been generally made of metal or rubber orbone or some such material,butI have devised what I consider an improved striker; and it consists of a suitable composition which may be applied to the tongues while in a liquid or plastic state, so that it will enter or permeate the interstices upon the surface of the cloth, and thus be rendered self-adhering,and which will harden as it dries sufliciently to enable it to serve its purpose as a striker and be free from brittleness and tendency to chip and proof against atmospheric influences, Such a striker is very economical of manufacture, cannot become detached in use, and leaves the front of the cloth tongues uncovered, so that the hammer in striking encounters only the soft cloth instead of the striker.

The nature of my improvement will be bettor understood from the description given be low and also from. the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of a part of a piano, showing the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the flexible cloth tongues to which the strikers are attached. Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section of one of the tongues and its striker.

In said drawings, A represents one of the strings; B, one of the hammers; C, the movable cross-bar, extending across the series of strings and also carrying the strip of cloth D, the lower edge of which is cut at intervals to form the striker-tongues E.

My improved strikers are shown at F upon the side of the tongues next the strings. They are composed of some composition of material which may be applied to the cloth in a fluid or plastic state, so that it will enter in be-' tween the fibers or threads lying at the surface of the cloth and form a strongly-adhering mechanical union therewith. The composition is one which when dry is suflicien-tly hard to enable it to serve its purpose as a striker, and it should also be free from brittleness or tendency to crack or chip off. It should also be proof against dampness and such heat as pianos are ordinarly subjected to. A composition which I have found to answer the purpose well is composed of dry shellac, glue, and gum -shellac, each one part, sand two parts, and sufficient alcohol to dissolve or soften the shellac and glue. The composition is put on the cloth While fluid or plastic, so that it maybe molded at the time of its application, and it forms a mechanical union therewith, as stated, sufficiently strong to prevent all danger of its becoming detached therefrom unless by design. When dry, it will be hard and possess the other desirable qualities necessary to render it serviceable as a striker.

I'Vhile the composition above described serves the purpose excellently, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto in my claims, as other compositions might be substituted therefor. Nor do I wish to be limited to cloth tongues, as other flexible materials might be substituted therefor.

My improved striker gives a tone very like the tone of a harp, and in that respect is an improvement upon any construction of striker which has heretofore come to my notice. Moreover, the tone does not possess the metallic quality which has attended the use of the strikers heretofore employed, but, on the contrary, is what is known among piano men as"velvetyin its nature. The saving of the hammer, and are provided upon the side toward the strings with hardened composition strikers molded directly upon and self-adhering to the cloth, substantially as specified.

In a piano, a tone-modifier consisting of flexible tongues covered upon the side toward the strings with hardened strikers applied directly upon the tongues in a plastic state and self-adhering thereto.

JOHN V. STEGER.

\Vitncsses:

EDW. S. EVARTS, II. M. MUNDAY. 

